When the dust settles
by hpwolfbrother
Summary: Its been a year since the war ended, and Harry Potter was trying to get his life back together. He has a family that cares for him, a girlfriend that loves him, and a godson that's his whole world. Things seem to be looking up for the young wizard, but will peace last?
1. Chapter 1: Letters and Problems

It had been a long year for Harry Potter.  
With the war over, and Voldemort dead, life was slowly returning to normal.  
Well, as normal as it could get living at the Burrow, raising his two year old godson.  
The most pleasant surprise of this past year was learning that Ginny still fancied him. He had been sure that after the way he broke up their relationship three years ago, that she would never want anything to do with him again.

It took a while for them to get comfortable with each other, and now, it seemed they were doing the best to make up for all the time together they had lost these past few years. Needless to say, it was not easy for them to be alone together.  
With all the Weasleys living at the Burrow, and those left from the Order stopping in on occasion, he was very rarely alone.

All was not as believed, though. He was having a hard time dealing with what he had done during the war. He had killed. Not just Voldemort, but other people too. Many people also died because of him.

It was not hard for him to imagine seeing looks of loathing coming from some of the people in the house. He blamed himself for Fred's death. Every time he looked at George or Mrs. Weasley, he knew they blamed him for Fred's death.

'If it wasn't for me', he thought, 'Fred would still be alive, and so would Tonks and Lupin.'  
He wished there were someone he could talk to about it all. The only father figures he had ever known were all dead. He couldn't bring himself to talk to Mr. Weasley. He was sure he and Mrs. Weasley blamed Harry for the death of their son.

The only two people in that house he felt he could open up to were his godson Teddy, and Ginny, though he couldn't talk to Ginny the way he would have had Sirius or Lupin been there for him.  
He needed someone to help him come to terms with what he had done.

"Oi, Harry!" came Ron's voice from outside his door.  
Harry got up and yanked the door open.

"Can't you be quiet for once in your life Ron? I just got Teddy to take a nap, and I don't want him woken up." he hissed to a very scared looking Ron.

"Sorry mate, no need to rip my head off though. Mum just sent me up here to tell you that you got a letter. Said it was important." abashed, Ron said.

Closing the door quietly, he brushed past Ron without saying another word.

"Harry dear, you got a letter from the ministry."

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley."

Harry ripped open the letter sitting on the table.

_Mr Potter,_

Your presence is required at the Ministry.  
We will be sending someone to pick you up shortly.  
Come alone.

Signed,  
Kingsley Shacklebolt  
Senior Auror  
Ministry of Magic  
Harry went white. Why couldn't they leave him alone?

It had been months since the ministry had tried to contact him. He thought he made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with them.

"Harry, what is it?" Mrs. Weasley asked with concern heavy in her voice.

"Mrs. Weasley, will you watch Teddy for me?" Harry asked quietly.

"Of course I will Harry. What's going on?" She asked.

"It's the Ministry again. They are sending someone to pick me up."

"After all this time? I thought they finally decided to leave you alone. Arthur will go with you dear. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley, but I have to take care of this on my own."

They both jumped at what sounded, to Harry, like a gun shot.  
Harry spun to the door, wand out, and yanked it open.  
Standing in the doorway were two wizards he had never seen before.

"Mr. Potter, your presence is required by the head of the Magical Law Enforcement division."

"What do they want with me?" Harry demanded, his voice full of anger.

"We were only told to escort you directly to the Ministry Mr. Potter. Nothing more. Come with us."

"I'll be back as soon as I can Mrs. Weasley. Don't worry, I can handle anything the Ministry throws at me." Harry reassured her quietly.

As he stepped out of the house, the Ministry wizards fell into step on either side of him. Once they were clear of the house, they turned in step and Harry felt a familiar squeezing sensation as they apparated directly to the Ministry of Magic.

"Wand, please."

Harry handed his wand over to the feeble looking guard, who inventoried it and handed it back to him.

"Where are we going?"

"Level 2, Mr. Shacklebolt wants to see you. This way."

With that, they entered the lifts, and got off at level 2.

"Harry, It's good to see you again." Kingsley Shacklebolt said as Harry walked into his office.

"What do you want, Kingsley?" Harry demanded.

"Why the anger, Harry? The Ministry is not your enemy. I am not your enemy." Kingsley tried to reassure Harry

"Funny way to show it, don't you think? Someone who claimed to be my friend would respect my wishes and let me live my life in peace. What do you want?" Anger was rising in Harry's voice

"There are many things I want, Harry." Kingsley sighed.

"Don't play games with me, I am not in the mood for it." Harry snapped at the Auror.

"Fine. You're in danger, Harry."

"What else is new? What did I do this time? Not die when someone wanted me to?" Harry laughed.

"That's exactly what you did. I have received word that a small group of Death Eaters are planning on avenging their dead lord. They want to kill you, as well as anyone who's with you."

"You brought me all the way here to tell me something that any first year at Hogwarts could have figured out?" Harry barked.

"This is not the time for games, Harry. I know you have never seen eye to eye with the Ministry, and frankly, I don't blame you. But this is not the time to let your pride take control over your judgment  
You are in real danger, as are the Weasleys, and your godson, while you are around them." Kingsley yelled.

"Don't you dare bring my godson into this, Kingsley!" Harry shouted while pulling out his wand.

"I didn't mean it that way, Harry. I just want you to open your eyes. You need protection, and I can provide it for you. We want to increase protection around the Burrow, place a few Aurors there, and provide you with a protector."

"In case you didn't notice, I am fully capable of defending myself, against Death eaters, or against the Ministry if I have to." Harry fumed.

"Don't be a fool, Harry. It does not suit you. This is not a game, the danger is real." Kingsley pleaded.

"Why didn't you discuss this with Mr. Weasley? It's his house, and his family. I won't place this burden on them. They have already gone through enough trouble, and suffered enough because of me. I am sure they would love to finally have a reason to ask me to leave." Harry growled as he stood up.

"What in Merlin's name are you talking about Harry? When have you ever done anything to hurt that family?"

"They have one less son, and many less friends because of me!" Harry shouted.

"Harry, do you honestly think that?" a calm voice spoke up from behind him.

Harry spun around and was eye to eye with Mr. Weasley.

"M-Mr. Weasley! I didn't know you were here." Harry stammered

"I came as soon as Molly told me what happened. Harry, why did you say those things just now?" Mr. Weasley asked in concern.

"Because they're true, Fred would still be alive if it weren't for me. So would Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, and more people than I can count. I don't know how you've been able to stand having me in your house all this time. It's time I stopped fooling myself into thinking I can have a family without putting them in danger. I'll be leaving as soon as I get my stuff packed." Harry admitted sadly.

"Harry, what in the blazes are you saying? You didn't kill Fred or Sirius, or any of them. If it weren't for what you went through, I might not have any of my children or friends left. Voldemort took them from us Harry, not you. You must realize that. You do have a family Harry. We are your family, Me, Molly, George, Ron, Ginny. We are your family. We wouldn't trade you for the world." Mr. Weasley consoled Harry, sadness etched on his face.

"What were you planning on doing? Run off? Go into hiding? You had better not let Ginny find out what you're thinking. She loves you Harry, though I'm starting to wonder why, if you believe what you said. Deep down, you must know, we would do anything for you." he added as he put an arm around Harry's shoulders.

"Mr. Weasley..." Harry began, but was cut off.

"Don't worry, Harry. Everything will be alright. Kingsley, you can place whatever amount of protection around our house that you deem necessary" Mr. Weasley said as he pushed Harry towards the door.

"Thank you, Arthur." Kingsley replied as he pulled out a sheet of parchment.

When they got home that night, Harry went directly to his room without speaking to anyone, and proceeded to lock himself in.

When Harry came out of his room the next morning., he was confronted by a very angry looking Ginny.  
Without saying a word, she looked him in the eye, and slapped him so hard he fell through his door.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" Ginny shouted pushing Harry back towards his bedroom door.

"Ginny.." Harry blurted out, but was cut off with a slap to the face.

"Shut it, I'm not done! It's your fault Fred is dead is it? Your the reason Tonks and Lupin died are you? Just going to up and leave were you? You don't have a family do you? I thought you had more brains than that! I thought you cared more for me than that!" Ginny raged.

She slapped him once more, then stormed down the stairs. He heard a door slam.

Harry got to his feet, his head still ringing from the force of her slaps.

As he walked out his door, he walked right into Ron.

"Blimey Harry. I thought she was going to curse you into the next decade. I was just coming up here to warn you, but she put a body bind curse on me. She heard Mum and Dad talking. You had better go after her, mate, or she might not be as charming the next time she corners you."

Harry stumbled down the stairs, rubbing a very sore jaw.  
He finally found her sitting at the edge of the pond. From the looks of it she had been crying.  
She must have heard him walking up to her, as she jumped up and spun around, with her wand out.  
She didn't lower it when she saw who it was.

"What do you want? I thought you had some packing to do. Were you at least going to say goodbye before you walked out of my life?" Ginny seethed.

"Ginny" he started, but she cut him off.

"Save it, Harry. I don't want to hear it. I thought I meant something to you. I guess I was wrong. So what was I? Something to help you take your mind off things by snogging when no one was looking? I thought you loved me, Harry." Ginny pleaded.

"I do Ginny!" Harry claimed.

"Funny way of showing it. How could you be so stupid? None of us blames you for Fred's death, Or Lupins', or Tonks'. You didn't kill them, Harry. You never hurt anybody that didn't force you to. I wouldn't be alive today if you hadn't saved me back in second year. We thought you needed some time alone, needed to sort things out. Apparently we were wrong. Seems like your brain takes a vacation when you hole yourself up in your room. Well that's going to end, Harry. Being an idiot doesn't suit you. From now on, I won't let you have more than five minutes to yourself!" Ginny barked.

Harry did the only thing he could think of, he pulled her close to him and kissed her.

"Well, " she said, breathlessly a few minutes later, "That's certainly better. If you ever get anymore stupid ideas in that head of yours about leaving me, I'm going to put a permanent sticking charm on us. Got that?" Ginny stated, poking Harry hard in the chest.

"Yes, Ginny." he said, a smile playing across his lips.

"Well, where were we?" Ginny asked coyly

"I was just about to tell you that I've been a" he started to say, but was cut off

"Idiot? Moron? Brainless fool?" Ginny finished for him

"Those all sound about right." he agreed.

"And?"

"And, I was going to say," he started, but was cut off again.

"That you'll never do it again? That you're sorry you hurt me? That you want nothing more than to stay here, and be with me?" Ginny finished as she ran her hands up Harry's back, kissing his neck.

"All of those, Ginny. You were right." Harry sighed.

"Of course I was. Now, are you going to kiss me again, or am I going to have to curse you?" Ginny asked, a hint of anger creeping into her voice.

She pushed him down on the ground, and jumped on top of him, kissing him for all she was worth.  
"I hope you know that you're more trouble than you're worth Harry." Ginny said with a coy smile.

"What ever do you mean?" Harry asked innocently

"Never mind. We had better get back to the house and help mum with lunch."

Ginny grabbed his hand and practically dragged him back to the house.

When they got back in the house, Harry saw another letter sitting on the table, he looked to see who it was addressed to, and saw his name, with a red stamp saying

"Cleared for delivery – Auror #152"

"Oh, there you are Harry, that just came for you." Mrs. Weasley said as saw him looking at the letter.

Harry reluctantly picked up the letter, holding it like he expected it to bite him.

_"__To Harry Potter,_

I would like you to stop by Hogwarts at your earliest possible convince.  
There is a matter I would like to discuss with you.

Yours truly,

Minerva McGonagall  
Headmistress  
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"  
"It's from Professor McGonagall, she wants to talk to me. Would you mind watching Teddy until I get back?" Harry asked.

"I would love to, he's such a delightful little boy." Mrs Weasley replied with a smile.

Harry walked to the front door and started to open it, until he heard someone cough behind him.

"And where do you think you're going? I thought I told you, you are not to be alone for more than five minutes?" Ginny stated as she walked down the stares.

"Sorry, Ginny. It slipped my mind. I'm going to Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall wants to see me. Would you like to come?" Harry pleaded.

"Like you could stop me." Ginny replied with a smile.

Hand in hand, they walked out the front door, but stopped suddenly when a wizard appeared before them.

"Good day Mr. Potter, allow me to introduce myself, I am Trent Jackson, I was sent by the Ministry, as protection for you whenever you leave this house." The young looking wizard stated as he approached the house.

"Do you really think that's necessary? I am fully capable of taking care of myself." Harry demanded.

"I am under orders, sir. Don't worry, I will not get in your way, and anything you do while I am with you is entirely your business, not a word of it will ever pass my lips." Trent replied, a worried look on his face.

"Very well, I'm going to Hogwarts, once we get there, you will have to wait outside." Harry resigned.

"Very good, sir."

Harry and Ginny walked to the hill across the street, as it was the closest place they can apparate from, with the Ministry wizard trailing a few paces behind them.

Once on the hill, the three of them spun on the spot, with a loud crack, they appeared outside of Hogsmead, a short distance from Hogwarts itself.

Harry felt as though a weight had lifted from him, he was back at the only place he had felt happy for the last six years of his childhood.

It had been over a year since he had seen Hogwarts. If he hadn't been there, he would have never guessed that it had been the place where the war had ended. Nearly all the damage had been repaired.

Once inside the school gates, he and Ginny both stopped in their tracks, sucking in a deep breath.

Standing in the middle of the courtyard was something neither of them had seen last time they were here.

A black obelisk had been erected there, with a lifelike phoenix on top of it.

It had writing on it, though it was unreadable from where they were.

Slowly, they approached it, and read what was written.

"In memory of those who  
gave the ultimate sacrifice  
to protect those they love."

Below that, was a list of names. Everyone who died during the last war was on there.

Ginny reached out her hand, and touched a name. Harry didn't need to look to tell whose name it was.  
She buried her face in his chest, her whole body shuddering.

The name she had touched was Fred Weasley.

Harry saw two other names he dearly missed.

"Nymphadora Tonks Lupin  
Remus Lupin"

When Harry and Ginny reached the gargoyles outside the headmistress's office, he realized he didn't know the password.

"We are here to see Professor McGonagall."

"Enter, Harry Potter. She is expecting you."

They walked up the spiral staircase hand in hand, and knocked on the door at the top.

"Enter" came a womans voice from the other side.

"You'll have to wait here while we go in." Harry stated to the wizard following them.

"Understood, sir. Just call if you need anything." He said as he walked to the corner of the little entryway

The headmistress's office was much as he had remembered it from his many visits to it during his sixth year. The main exception being the painting of Dumbledore behind the desk where Professor McGonagall sat.

"Harry, It's good to see you again. You as well, Ginny."

"It's good to see you too, Professor."

"Do sit down, you're not in trouble Harry" She said with a smile.

Harry and Ginny each took a seat in front of the huge oak desk.

"So, who's the humorless looking wizard you left pacing outside?" McGonagall asked.

"That's Harry's babysitter." Ginny said, smiling mischievously.

"Excuse me?" McGonagall looked taken aback.

"He's my ministry appointed body guard." Harry muttered.

"Is that so? Who does he think is going to attack you here? A group of giggling first years?  
Well, never mind that. I'm sure you want to know why I asked you here. I would like to offer you a job. We are, again, in need of a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I thought you might like to come back to Hogwarts in a teaching capacity." She went on as she looked at Harry.

"No thank you, Professor. I am trying to get my life settled and raise my godson." He replied apologetically.

"Are you sure, Harry? You can still live a normal life and raise Teddy while teaching here." She explained with a sigh.

"I'm sure. Thanks for the offer though. It means a lot to me." Harry smiled as he replied.

"Very well. I hate to cut this talk short, but I have a class to teach in ten minutes. It's been a pleasure seeing the two of you again. Don't be a stranger."

"Thanks, Professor, it's been a pleasure seeing you as well." Harry and Ginny said as they walked out of her office.

As they were walking out of the main hall, Ginny leaned close to Harry.

"Are you sure, Harry? I thought you would love to come back here."

"I'm sure Ginny. All I want to do is spend time with you, and be the best godfather to Teddy as I can."

*******************

After dinner that night, Harry went looking for Mr. Weasley. He finally found him in his shed, working on a Muggle toaster.

"Mr. Weasley?" Harry asked nervously.

"Ah Harry, what's up?" Mr. Weasley replied, not looking up from the toaster.

"Mr. Weasley, can I ask you something?" Harry was looking at the interesting amount of dust on his shoes as he spoke

Finally looking up, Mr. Weasley saw the look on Harry's face and turned to talk to him.

"You know you can, Harry. What do you want to ask me?" Mr. Weasley stated as he searched Harry's face.

"Well, sir." Harry began, but was cut off.

"Sir? Harry, you're a grown man, and have been a member of this family for years, call me Arthur." He said laughing.

"Okay, Arthur. Well, what I want to ask is... I want to ask your permission to ask Ginny to marry me." Harry blurted out.

"I see." Arthur stated in a cold voice.

Seeing the look on Arthur's face, Harry thought fighting off fifty Death Eaters would have been preferable to the look he was getting.

"How do you feel towards Ginny?" He asked shaking his head.

"I love her more than life itself. She means the world to me." Harry exclaimed at once.

"She means the world to me too. Are you sure about this Harry? If anything were to hurt Ginny" Arthur was asking but was cut off.

"I would rather die than hurt her. I want to make her the happiest woman in the world. She is my life." Harry was beaming as he talked about Ginny.

"I'm glad to hear it. I like you, Harry, I really do. You're like a son to me. I've seen how you and Ginny are when you're together. You look as if you were meant for each other." Arthur finally said, "You have my permission, and my blessing."

"Thank you! You don't know how much that means to me." Harry said, grinning like a madman..

"I'm sure I do. When are you planning on asking her?" Arthur asked smiling.

"Next week. The thirty-first is the anniversary of my parents death. I'm going to introduce her to them, and ask her then." Harry whispered, a tremble in his voice at the mention of his parents.

"That will mean a lot to her. How are you planning on supporting her?" He asked finally.

"I have more than enough money left from what my parents left me, and from what Sirius left me. I'm planning on getting a place of my own somewhere. I still have Sirius' house, but I wouldn't feel right living there. As for a job. I figure I could work for George, help him run his business, he's asked me to before. The Ministry has offered me every position but Minister. I plan on staying as far away from them as I can though." Harry's voice turned to stone at the name of the Ministry.

"The Ministry is not a bad place to work, Harry. It's changed a lot in the past year." Arthur stated calmly.

"I know that, but I can't help but to remember how they have treated me during the last few years I was at Hogwarts. I can forgive them for that, but I will never forgive them for how they treated Dumbledore." Harry hissed.

"That's all right Harry, I won't say anymore about it. Oh, by the way, I believe you dropped this."

Arthur went to hand Harry a sack that he had left on the workbench yesterday.

"No, I didn't. That's yours. To help pay what I owe you for letting me and Teddy live here and feeding us."

"Harry, every time you've tried to give me money, I have explained to you that you don't owe me anything. You're family." Arthur stated it as a matter of fact.

"Will you please keep it? It would make me feel better. I never have liked having anyone support me."

"Alright. On one condition. You don't try to pay me any more. There's more money in there than you could cost in five years." Arthur agreed finally

"Thank you, Arthur."


	2. Chapter 2: Family

"Morning, Harry." Ginny and Hermione said together as he came down the stairs, headed for the kitchen.

"Hi" Harry muttered back.

"What's wrong with him?" Ginny asked Hermione as he disappeared through the kitchen door.

"Don't you know what day it is?" Hermione asked calmly

"Yeah, it's Halloween. What of it?" Ginny stated.

"His parents were killed on Halloween." Hermione whispered.

"Oh. I didn't realize." Ginny said, abashed.

"You should go talk to him, see if you can cheer him up."

Ginny got up and walked into the kitchen. Harry was sitting at the table staring at his tea.

"You should drink that before it gets cold." She stated as she ran a hand along his shoulders.

Harry looked up at her and smiled.

"Ginny, will you come somewhere with me?" He asked after a few minutes.

"I'd love to Harry. Where are we going?" Ginny beamed.

"To see someone." He muttered.

"I'm sure Hermione will watch Teddy for a while. She's here to spend the day with Ron anyways." Ginny smiled at him.

"Thats wont be necessary, I want to take him with us." Harry said, as he finished feeding his godson.

"Sure, just let me go get changed." Ginny said as she bounced out of her chair.

"I'll be waiting outside." He said before she made it to the stairs.

Harry picked up his godson, and walked outside, looking for his "shadow", as he had begun to call his bodyguard.

"Good morning Mr. Potter" The wizard said as he stood up.

"Yeah. Listen, I have something I have to do. I know you will insist on coming with me. If you want that to happen, you have to agree to a couple of things. First, if you even mention to anyone where we are going, I will make you wish you had never heard my name. Second, you are to wait where I tell you to, and not attempt to come any closer to me. I don't believe this will go against your orders, as you will still be able to see me, but not hear me unless I choose for you to. If you are needed, I will call for you. If you come any closer, without my calling for you, I will make life very unpleasant for you. Third, You are to ask no questions, either to me, or Ginny. Not the reason for where we are going, not how long we plan on being there, nothing. Is that understood?" Harry hissed at the Auror.

The Auror looked pale, opened his mouth to speak, closed it again, and nodded.

"Am I allowed to ask where we are going sir?" He stammered.

"Godric's Hollow. Any problems with your orders?" Harry demanded.

"None. I am not to mention anything about today to anyone. I am not to come any closer to you than you say. I am not to ask any questions." He repeated his orders in a cold voice.

"Good, see that you don't break those orders."

Harry turned to the door as he heard Ginny saying goodbye to Hermione.

"Are you ready, Ginny?" He asked smiling.

"Yes, Harry. Where are we going?"

"To a village called Godic's Hollow." He replied without elaborating.

"How are we getting there? You can't apparate with a baby." She asked, praying he wasn't planning on taking a broom.

"Portkey, I set it up with the Ministry last week." He replied as he smiled at her.

Harry put his free arm around Ginny's shoulders and walked away from the burrow.  
He stopped as they walked up to the top of the hill, and turned to the Auror behind him.

"Why don't you go on ahead and make sure I'm not about to be attacked by any crazed muggles or whatever it is you're supposed to protect me from."

The wizard turned on the spot and disapparated with a slight crack.

"Harry, why did he look as if he had just seen death coming for him?" She demanded looking him in the eye.

"We had a little chat while you were getting ready. I informed him of the conditions he has to abide by if he wants to come with us." Harry stated, wishing she hadn't asked.

"What do you mean by that? He has to come with us Harry, it's his job." She reminded him.

"Don't worry about it Ginny, he agreed to them. Do you really think he would be able to get anywhere near me if I didn't want him to?" Harry replied with a smile.

"You should be nicer to him Harry. The Ministry just wants to keep you safe." Ginny growled, wishing Harry would be a little more serious about his safety.

"I wish that were all they wanted with me." He muttered.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked as she turned to face him.

"Don't you find it a little odd that all of a sudden McGonagall offered me a job as a teacher?" Harry muttered.

"They've had a bad time keeping a Defense teacher, you know that Harry." She reminded him.

"Think about it Ginny, school started two months ago. If she just wanted to offer me the job, she would have done it well before that. The Ministry got her to offer me the job. They don't just want to keep me safe. It's been over a year since Voldemort died, and I haven't so much as seen someone who was out to get me. Other than you the other day." He smiled as he finished.

"You need to relax Harry. The Ministry is no longer ran by a coward or a Death Eater. Could it be that maybe the really do want to protect you, and feel that Hogwarts is the safest place you can be?" She said as she glared at him.

"We had better go before my shadow goes mental." Harry said, trying to change the subject.

Harry pointed his wand at the baseball and muttered "Portus"

"Grab on, Ginny." He said as he put his wand away.

Harry got on his knees, and placed his and Teddy's hands on the ball he turned into a port key.  
Ginny placed her hand beside his.

They came out a short distance from Godric's Hollow.

"Harry, this is a Muggle town. Isn't he going to look out of place here?" Ginny asked, looking at the Auror, who was wearing traditional robes.

"Ginny, it's Halloween, it's you and me who will look out of place. Come on." He said as he took her hand.

They took off, walking through the small town. Harry saw his destination at once.

Ahead of them was a small church, and beside it, a graveyard.

He turned to the Auror.

"Find a place to wait, and remember, no closer unless I call you."

The Auror nodded and walked over to stand in front of a closed store.

"Come on Ginny, it's time you met my parents." Harry said quietly.

Ginny finally realized why the name Godric's Hollow sounded familiar. She felt bad for Harry; most guys were able to introduce their girlfriends to their parents, he had to introduce his girlfriend to his parents graves.

She took his hand in hers as they walked through the graveyard. He didn't even look at any of the graves they passed. She figured he had come here often during the past year.

The stopped in front of a huge grave stone with the names "James and Lily Potter" engraved on it.

Harry sank to his knees in front of the grave and placed a hand on it. Ginny got down beside him and placed her arm around him.

"I'm sorry you had to meet them like this, Ginny." Harry whispered.

"I'm sorry you never got to know your parents, Harry. Thank you for bringing me here. Harry. It really means a lot to me." Ginny thought her heart was going to break at the look on his face.

"There is another reason I brought you here today, Ginny." He admitted after a few minutes.

"What's that?" She asked as she hugged him.

"Ginny, you know I love you more than life itself. You have always been there for me, even when I was being an idiot. If it weren't for you and Teddy, I don't think I would be alive today; you two kept me going when I would have rather died." Harry pulled a box out of his pocket and handed it to Ginny. "What I am trying to say is, Ginny, will you marry me?"

Ginny knocked the breath out of Harry as she tackled him, hugging him and kissing him.  
Teddy thought it was a game and started giggling.

"Oh, Harry! Of course I will!" She gasped as they came up for breath.

She went back to kissing him like her life depended on it.

"I hope my parents don't freak out when we tell them." Ginny stated after a while.

"I know your dad wont. He gave me his blessing to ask you. Your mum on the other hand, I don't know about. I'm sure he has told her that I was going to ask you. It's your brothers I'm worried about. Especially Ron. He has never been too keen on us being together. Though, he likes me dating you loads better than he liked any of your past boyfriends."

"I can handle them. Come on, let's go back, I can't wait to tell them."

As they walked out of the little town, the Auror detached himself from the shadows of a small shop and fell in behind them, not saying a word.

They found the ball they used to come here, and grabbed it, and felt themselves being pulled instantly to the hill outside the Burrow.

As they walked into the kitchen, Mr and Mrs Weasley looked up at them expectantly, while everyone else pretty much ignored them.

Arthur looked at Harry questionably, to which Harry nodded. He breathed a sigh of relief.  
Ginny held up her hand showing her mom her engagement ring.

"Harry and I are going to get married!" Ginny gloated.

The Weasley family erupted into chaos.  
Mrs. Weasley pulled Ginny into a fierce hug. Arthur patted Harry on the back and congratulated him. Ron started choking on his food. George started passing around butter beers, while Charlie and Bill looked at Harry like they had never seen him before.

Charlie and Bill walked around the table, each grabbing Harry by the arm, and dragged him out of the kitchen, and into the den. They pushed him down in a chair, and sat in front of him.

"Marrying our sister, huh?" They demanded at once.

"Uh, yeah." Harry said nervously.

"Did you hear that, Bill? He thinks he's marrying our baby sister."

"I heard that, Charlie. What do you think?"

"I'm not sure I like this. He thinks a lot of himself."

"That he does, Bill."

"Very funny you two." Harry interrupted.

"You think this is a joke, Potter? What makes you think you're good enough to marry our baby sister?" Bill growled.

"Yeah, you think you can take care of her? Can make her happy? I'm don't think I like this Charlie."

"I know I can make her happy. I love her more than anything in the world." Harry stammered.

"Ha, did you hear that? He loves her." Charlie laughed.

"I heard that. I wonder how many other girls he's told he loves." Bill glared at Harry as he said this.

"Not that it's any of your business, but she's the only one I have ever loved." Harry barked.

"Not any of our business? This is our only sister we are talking about!" Charlie looked like he was ready to kill.

"What the hell do you two think your doing? Leave him alone!" Ginny shouted as she saw what was going on.

"Go back in the kitchen, Ginny, we're having a little chat with Potter here." Charlie said without taking his eyes off Harry.

"I said leave him alone. You have no right to attack him like this!" She barked back at Charlie.

Ginny pulled out her wand and stunned both of them.

"Come on, Harry. I'm sorry they attacked you like that. They are a bit protective of me." She said as she stepped over her brothers and grabbed Harry's hand.

"And I thought your dad was scary." he muttered as they walked towards the stairs.

"Harry, we need to talk." Ron stated as he walked in the room, ignoring the stunned bodies of his two eldest brothers.

Ginny spun around, and pointed her wand at Ron.

"If you value your life, you will go back in the kitchen, and leave Harry alone!" Ginny seethed.

"Damn, Ginny! Watch where you're pointing that thing!" Ron gasped as he looked for something to hide behind.

"I've already had to stun two of my brothers for attacking him, do you want to make it three?" She demanded.

"Calm down Ginny, I wasn't going to attack him!" Ron pleaded.

"Harry! Where are you?" George called from the kitchen.

"At least one of my brothers is happy for us." She said as she brushed past Ron, dragging Harry with her.

"Ah! There you are. You're missing the celebration." George said as he put a butterbeer in Harry's hand.

"Thanks, George." Harry said cheerfully.

"Congratulations, Harry! I was wondering when you were going to ask her." George said grinning at Harry.

George pulled his sister into a hug.

"By the way, where are Bill and Charlie?" He asked as he looked around.

"Oh don't worry about them, they should be coming to in a little while." Ginny said with a sly smile.

"What did you do, Ginny?" He asked, looking to see if her wand was put away.

"Stunned them." She grinned.

"Why?" He looked from her to Harry.

"Let's just say they weren't as happy for us as you are." She stated.

"Blimey. You're one scary girl, I hope you don't give her cause to be mad at you, Harry." He said as he grinned at his sister.

"I know what you mean, George." Harry replied with a smile.

"Cheers, Harry!" He said as a toast.

"Cheers, George." Harry returned.

After a while, Bill and Charlie came into the kitchen and approached Harry.

"Look, Harry. We're sorry for how we acted. Your announcement shocked us, and we just wanted to see if you were serious about it." Charlie said as an apology.

"Don't worry about it. It's Ginny you two need to apologize to. As it is, George is the only brother she's planning on inviting to the wedding." Harry confessed.

Harry wandered outside looking for Ron. He found Ron and Hermione sitting on the wall.

"Hermione, can you excuse us, I need to talk to Ron." Harry said as he approached the two shadows on the wall.

"Sure thing, Harry. Congratulations on the engagement." She said with a smile.

Hermione got up and walked back to the house.

"Look Ron, I'm sorry for how Ginny yelled at you, she just found Bill and Charlie trying to scare me off." Harry stated once they were alone.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to ask her to marry you?" Ron demanded, looking hurt.

"The only person who knew before today was your dad. I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure she was going to say yes. Will you be my best man?" Harry explained.

"Bloody hell, Harry. This is a lot for a guy to take in. You really love her, don't you?" Ron gasped.

"More than anything." Harry stated.

"You're serious about this aren't you?" Ron said as he looked to see if Harry was telling the truth.

"Very." Harry replied.

"Fine. I'll be your best man. But will you quit snogging my sister in front of me? It makes me nauseous." Ron asked.

"Ill do my best. We should get back inside before Ginny decides to curse both of us." Harry said as he stood up.

*******************

The sun was over the horizon by the time Harry woke up, they had stayed up late last night celebrating.  
With a smile on his face, he got dressed.

'I can't believe she's going to marry me.' He thought to himself as he walked down the stares.

As he went to bed last night, Harry decided he wanted to do something special for Ginny today. He found he didn't have much money left, and had decided to goto Gringotts in the morning.

As he walked down the stairs, he stuck his head in Ginny's room, she was still sleeping. He decided to go by himself, he hated to wake her.

"Morning, Harry." Mrs. Weasley said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Good Morning." He replied with a smile.

Mrs. Weasley handed him a cup of tea and a plate of eggs.

As he started eating his food, he looked up to Mrs. Weasley.

"I have to go to Gringotts today, is there anything you need me to pick up while I'm there?" He asked her.

"Actually, we are running low on floo powder." She said, as if to herself.

"Floo powder, right. Anything else?" He asked.

"Not that I can think of. You're such a good boy Harry." Again, she looked as if she were speaking to herself.

Apparently she was still trying to sort things out. His and Ginny's announcement had taken her by surprise.

Once he finished breakfast, he went outside, and ran into a wizard he had never seen before.

"Good morning Mr. Potter. I'm Lewis Wigworthy" The wizard droned.

"Where's Trent?" Harry asked eying the wizard.

"Trent? He got transferred." He replied in the same monotone voice.

"Right." Harry said, and started walking towards the hilltop across the street.

As he got to the gate, he heard someone call his name.

"Harry!" Ginny called as she came running up to him.

As he turned to speak to her, he saw the Auror pull his wand and point it at her.

"Stop where you are!" He shouted, "hands where I can see them!"

Harry jabbed the Auror in the middle of the back with his wand.

"If you do not drop you wand right now," He growled in the wizard's ear. "You will not live long enough to regret it."

"But.." He started to protest, but was cut off.

"I said drop your wand!" Harry hissed.

The wizard let go of his wand and watched it as it fell in the grass.  
Harry bent over, not taking an eye off him, and picked up the wand.

"If you move at all from this spot, I will make sure you regret it with every breath you draw." Harry snapped at him.

"H-Harry?" Ginny finally spoke up. "Harry, calm down!"

Harry spun around, almost as if he forgot she was there.

"Ginny! Are you all right?" He asked, pulling her into a hug.

"Of course I am you oaf." She replied pushing him away from here. "What was that all about?"  
She never once took her eyes from the wizard who was barely breathing.

"I intend to find out. Please go back inside, Ginny. I'll be back shortly." He said as he turned around and pointed his wand at the wizard.

After seeing the look in his eyes, Ginny didn't dare argue with him. She knew he wouldn't allow it, and was best left alone.

"You! Come with me. Say one word, and I will hex you. Even look like you're going to do anything wrong, and I will hex you." Harry growled at the trembling wizard.

As the reached the top of the hill, Harry grabbed the wizard's arm, and disapparated.

After a familiar squeezing sensation, Harry and the wizard apparated into the entrance hall of the Ministry of Magic.

Not taking his wand off the wizard, he headed straight for the lifts.

"Wands, please." The guard said as they approached him.

Harry ignored him, and kept on walking.

"Hey! You have to check your wands!" The guard shouted at them.

Harry could care less about checking his wand. He wanted nothing more than to be able to release the power he was struggling to hold in.  
With each step he took, cracks shot through the floor outwards from his feet.

Two Aurors approached him from the lifts. After hearing the guard shout, and seeing Harry pointing his wand at one of their colleagues, they pulled their wands.

Without even drawing a breath, Harry looked at them. Both Aurors were blasted backwards into the wall. Harry walked past the two unconscious wizards, and entered the lift.

Once the door was closed, he jabbed the button of level two with his free hand.

Once the lift stopped, and the doors opened, Harry pushed the wizard out in front of him.  
But stopped when he saw a dozen Aurors all pointing their wands at him.

"Move!" he hissed to them.

"Harry?" He heard Kingsley's voice call from the back of the crowd.

"Merlin's beard, Harry. What are you doing? I thought a hundred Death eaters were attacking." Kingsley asked, looking from Harry to the wizard Harry was forcing out of the lift.

"Office! Now!" Harry growled to Kingsley.

Most of the Aurors, realizing it wasn't an attack by renegade wizards, lowered their wands. A few did not like seeing one of their own being held hostage, and kept their wands aimed at Harry.

Once they got to Kingsley's office, Harry shoved the wizard towards a chair.

"Sit!" he growled to him.

The wizard slumped down in the chair, trembling.

"What's going on, Harry?" Kingsley asked, his voice filled with concern.

"Kingsley. If I ever see this wizard again, I will kill him!" Harry snapped.

"What happened, Harry?" He asked as he glared at the soon to be ex-Auror.

"He attacked Ginny." Harry stated.

"What! What do you mean he attacked Ginny?" he gasped.

"I didn't" the Auror started, but was cut off.

"He drew his wand on her as she came out of the house to see where I was going!" Harry snapped.

"I wasn't going to attack her!" the wizard pleaded.

"If I hear one more word out of you, it will take more wizards than are in shouting distance to protect you." Harry shouted at him.

"Harry, calm down." Kingsley demanded.

"No! I will not calm down! If this wizard ever comes near me or my family again, I will kill him before he has a chance to so much as draw a breath."

"He won't, Harry. You have my word on that." Kingsley said with a tremble. Apparently he hadn't ever seen a trained wizard radiate power like Harry was.

"Where's Trent?" Harry asked.

"Trent? Trent Jackson? He was transferred to a job where his skills would be more useful." Kingsley stated.

"If you want to continue to be allowed to get an Auror anywhere near that house. I suggest you reassign Trent. At least he never tried to attack my fiancé!" Harry snapped.

"Okay, Harry! I'll have Trent reassigned to you immediately." Kingsley said as he pulled out a memo, and filled it out.  
Once he was done writing, he flicked it with his wand. The memo folded itself up and took off out of the office.

Harry got up and headed for the lift, but stopped when he heard a voice speak up.

"M-Mr. P-Potter? C-Can I have m-my wand b-back please?" The Auror asked, poking his head out from behind Kingsley.

Harry had forgotten that he still had the other wizard's wand. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the other's wand. He held it up in front of him, as if admiring it. Suddenly, he reached up with his other hand, and snapped the wand in half.

"There, looks like you won't be able to threaten anyone anytime soon." Harry stated and got in the lift.

As Harry appeared on the hilltop overlooking the Burrow, another wizard appeared beside him.

"Good day, Mr. Potter" Trent said as he turned towards Harry. "If I may ask, what happened to Lewis Wigworthy?"

"He made a mistake." Harry stated simply, and started walking towards the Burrow.

"A mistake? What kind of mistake, if I may ask?" Trent said nervously.

"He drew his wand on Ginny." Harry growled.

"He did what? I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, I will see to it he is appropriately punished." Trent asserted.

"That won't be necessary. He no longer has a wand, and has been warned that his life is forfeit if he ever comes near us again." Harry said to the nervous wizard.

Trent nodded and fell back to his customary place three paces behind Harry.

As Harry walked into the kitchen, Charlie and Bill jumped out of their chairs and rushed Harry.

"Where's the wanker who drew his wand on our sister?" They both demanded at the same time.

"He's wandless, most likely jobless, and has been warned that if he ever comes near us, or this house again, that he will die." Harry said to the two rather angry looking Weasleys who were looking at Trent like he was part of it.

They both visibly relaxed, and slapped Harry on the back.

"We just came over for lunch, and Ginny told us what happened. Good job Harry!" George said with a grin.

Apparently, they fully approved of Harry after hearing of him protecting their sister the way they felt she deserved.

Harry looked around the room looking for Ginny, not seeing her, he looked at Charlie questionably.

"Try out at the pond." He said simply.

Harry found Ginny sitting at the edge of the pond, throwing rocks into it.

"Mind if I sit down?" He asked.

As soon as he spoke, her hand darted to her side and pulled out her wand. Once she realized who it was, she put it away.

"Go ahead" She said without looking at him.  
Harry sat down next to her, and put his arm around her shoulders.  
They sat there like that, neither saying a word, for a while.  
Eventually, Ginny looked up at Harry.

"Harry, what happened to that wizard?" She asked quietly.

"I didn't harm him, if that's what your thinking." He replied.

"Who was he?" She asked, still looking at him.

"He was Trent's replacement. I took him back to the Ministry, told Kingsley that if I ever saw him again, I would kill him. Then I broke his wand, and came home. Trent's been reassigned to me, by the way." He said simply.

"Harry, he was just trying to protect you. Don't you think you were overreacting?" She asked hesitantly.

"Ginny. I am fine with the Ministry appointing Aurors to protect me. But I will not allow anyone to draw a wand on anyone here. Especially you. You and your family are the first real family I ever had, and I will not let anyone threaten, or attack, any of you." Harry said fiercely.

"I can take care of myself you know!" She said tartly.

"I know that, love. I was just quicker to react, thats all. I'm sure you would have done an even better job had you reacted first." He said with a smile.

"Harry Potter! I do believe you are telling me what you think I want to hear!" She said grinning at him.

"I haven't begun to tell you what you want to hear." He said, smiling at her.

"And what do you think that is?" she said laughing.

"I love you." He said quietly.

"Well, I guess I'll have to settle for that." She said with a grin.

Slowly, Harry lowered his arm to her waist. Once he had it there, he pulled her on top of him, and started tickling her.

"Ha-Ha-Har-Harry!" She gasped, but was unable to say a word through her laughing.

Harry rolled over on top of her. Suddenly, he stopped tickling her, and kissed her.

"You guess you'll have to settle for that?" He demanded while grinning.

"I'm sorry! That's exactly what I wanted to hear!" She stammered.

She gasped as he started tickling her again.

"Are you sure? I can keep going for a long while." He said while laughing.

"I'm sure!" She gasped.

"All right then. I believe you." he said and kissed her ear.

"Uh, Harry?" Arthur said, as he walked up.

Harry jerked up, and realized what kind of position they were in, his hands on Ginny's hips, his face next to hers. He jumped up, realized Ginny was still laying down panting, reached down and helped her to her feet.

"Mr. Weasley! I, We were." He started to explain but was cut off.

"It's okay, Harry. And it's Arthur, remember?" He said bestowing a fatherly smile on them.

"Sorry, Arthur. I remember." Harry answered.

"Harry, I just came back from the office. Is it true?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"It is." Harry said simply.

"Care to explain? There I was, just filling out paperwork on a biting waffle iron, when I'm told you barged into the Ministry, holding an Auror hostage. They are saying you attacked a couple of Aurors, Harry. This is serious." Arthur said sadly.

"They replaced Trent with some guy named Lewis. When I was leaving this morning, Ginny came out of the house and was running to catch up with me. He drew his wand on her, and ordered her to stop where she was.  
"I snapped. All I saw was some unknown wizard pointing his wand at Ginny and threatening her. I took his wand from him, and dragged him to the ministry. It was all I could do to keep from killing him where I stood. I knew I had to get to Kingsley soon, or I was going to explode. It's kinda blurry, I remember two wizards pointing their wands at me, and felt something slip in my mind.  
"Next thing I know, they are flying backwards into a wall. I forced the wizard onto the lift, and headed for level two. When I got off the lift, there were a bunch of Aurors, all pointing their wands at me. I felt myself losing control when I heard Kingsley speak my name. I relaxed, then. I knew he could take care of the wizard.  
"I explained what happened to him. Then I told him if he ever wanted to get another Auror near me and my, er, your family again, it would have to be Trent. Then I told him that if that wizard ever came near me or Ginny again, that I would kill him where he stood. After that I broke his wand, and came back here. I'm sorry." but Harry was cut off at this point.

"Harry, are you all right? It's unusual, but not unheard of, for a wizard to loose control of their powers when they are under a great deal of emotional stress. How are you feeling?" Arthur asked in concern.

"I feel fine now that I'm back with, Ginny. A little tired though." He said quietly.

"I'm surprised you haven't passed out yet. Harry, you practically destroyed the floors in the entry hall, and on level two. Harry, I know you've had a hard life, and are having a hard time controlling your emotions. Especially after the last couple of years. But you are an extremely strong wizard, Harry. It's imperative that you learn to control your anger and your rage better than you did. You could have hurt someone Harry. I can understand how you lost control through. If someone threatened Molly or any of you kids like that in front of me, I would have reacted the same way.  
"Thank you, Harry. Thank you, for living up to your word to never let anyone hurt Ginny." Arthur said, his voice trembling.

He looked from Harry to Ginny, and back again, before pulling them both into a hug.

"Arthur? Have you found," Mrs. Weasley called but stopped when she spotted them. "Oh good. Arthur, Mr. Shacklebolt is here, he wants to speak with the three of you."

"Come on, you two, we had better see what he has to say." Arthur said simply.

As they started back towards the house, Mrs. Weasley walked over to Harry and Ginny, and pulled them into a hug.

"Harry, how are you feeling dear?" She asked.

"A little tired, but otherwise fine, Mrs. Weasley." He replied.

"I'm glad to hear it. How are you, Ginny?" She asked as she looked over at her daughter.

"I'm fine, mum." She said, as she rested her head on Harry's arm.

As they walked into the sitting room, Harry saw Kingsley, and the Auror Lewis.

As soon as he saw him, he went to draw his wand, but Ginny stopped him by clamping both of her hands over his.

"Just hear them out, please?" She pleaded in his ear.

The wizard jumped up at seeing Harry reach for his wand, and dived behind Kingsley.

Bill and Charlie came running in after hearing the commotion.

At seeing the look of hatred on Harry's face, they realized that this was the wizard that had threatened their sister.

As one, they drew their wands.

One of them used a nonverbal spell, and the wizard went flying against the wall, his feet dangling a foot off the floor.

The house was thrown into chaos. Ginny gasped, and Mrs. Weasley shouted.

Arthur tried dragging his sons off the helpless wizard with the help of Kingsley, but they were unsuccessful.

"You dared to attack our sister! On her own property! As she was saying bye to her fiancé! Give us one reason why we shouldn't kill you?" Charlie demanded.

Ginny finally realized what was going on, and jumped in front of her brothers.

"STOP IT!" she screamed. "Just stop it, please!"

Realizing they couldn't get a clear shot at the wizard without harming Ginny, they grudgingly lowered their wands.

They turned, and stormed out of the house.

Kingsley decided that there weren't any more family members waiting to do harm to the Auror, and sat back down. He glanced at the wizard, who was still dangling a foot from the floor, due to Bill and Charlie neglecting to release him from their spell.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Shacklebolt. I didn't think they would act like that." Mrs. Weasley pleaded.

"It's all right, Molly. I would have been surprised if they hadn't." He said with a sigh, before turning to Ginny.  
"Miss Weasley, I would like to think you for restraining Harry. Of everyone here, Harry is the only one that I believe would have carried out his warning."

Ginny nodded at him before forcing Harry to sit down on the couch, making sure that she kept his wand arm wrapped up in hers.

"You have a lot of nerve bringing him here, Kingsley!" Harry snapped.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I had no choice. You made some very serious accusations, and warnings earlier. This has to be taken care of, and I don't imagine that you would have willingly come back to the Ministry to handle it." He explained to Harry, before looking at Ginny. "Miss Weasley, is what Harry accused Lewis Wigworthy of doing true?" he asked calmly.

"Sort of." She said hesitantly

"Care to explain?" He asked.

"Well, I came out of the house this morning, and ran to catch up with Harry. As I got close to him, I called his name. He" she jerked her head to the wizard hanging against the wall. "Pulled his wand on me, and ordered me to stop where I was, and keep my hands where he could see them."

"Thank you, Miss Weasley. At any time did he look like he was going to actually attack you?" He asked her.

"He bloody well pulled his wand on her! That's bloody well looking like he was going to attack her!" Harry shouted.

"Harry love, please let me finish talking to him." Ginny said, kissing Harry on the cheek.

Harry grunted, and sat back against the couch.

"What you have to understand, Mr. Shacklebolt, is that Harry has seen his friends attacked too many times over the past couple of years. He is extremely protective of us. When he saw that wizard pull his wand on me, he remembered what happened every time over the past few years that someone pulled a wand on someone he loves.  
"Harry did what he did instinctively. He saw someone threatening someone he loved, and did everything he could to eliminate that threat." Ginny explained.

"Thank you, Miss. Weasley. That explains a lot of things. Harry, you overreacted. But in your shoes, I would have done the same. You did what you knew best to do. You protected the one you love. Thankfully, you didn't lose control and hurt him. Thankfully, no one got hurt. There was quite a bit of damage done to the floors at the Ministry, but nothing that can't be fixed.  
"Well, I see no reason for this to go any further. Harry, I will make sure Trent Jackson continues to be your protector. I am sorry for everything." He said with regret, before standing.

Harry grunted, and made a point of not looking at the wizard as Kingsley let him off the wall, and left the house.

"Well," Mrs. Weasley said to Harry. "I'm glad to see you controlled yourself better than those two sons of mine."

"Don't be, Mrs. Weasley. The only reason I didn't attack him is because Ginny was stopping me from drawing my wand." Harry said regretfully.

He would have liked nothing more than to be able to attack the Auror.


End file.
